The Run Smarter Podcast cover art

The Run Smarter Podcast

The Run Smarter Podcast

By: Brodie Sharpe
Listen for free

About this listen

 Expand your running knowledge, identify running misconceptions and become a faster, healthier, SMARTER runner. Let Brodie Sharpe become your new running guide as he teaches you powerful injury insights from his many years as a physiotherapist while also interviewing the best running gurus in the world. This is ideal for injured runners & runners looking for injury prevention and elevated performance. So, take full advantage by starting at season 1 where Brodie teaches you THE TOP PRINCIPLES TO OVERCOME ANY RUNNING INJURY and let’s begin your run smarter journey.Brodie Sharpe 2020 Hygiene & Healthy Living Running & Jogging
Episodes
  • Exclusive AMA: Managing Multiple Injuries / Heart Rate Discrepancies / Stitches / Rotating Shoes

    Exclusive AMA: Managing Multiple Injuries / Heart Rate Discrepancies / Stitches / Rotating Shoes
    Oct 19 2025

    Learn more about Brodie's Research Database & AI Assistant 📄🔍

    For MORE Run Smarter Resources 🏃‍♂️📚
    - Including Free Injury Prevention Courses 🩹🎓
    - The Run Smarter Book 📖
    - Access to Research Papers 📄🔍
    - & Ways to Work with Brodie 🤝👟
    👉 CLICK HERE! 🎉✨

    Topics Covered

    Managing Multiple Injuries (e.g., Plantar Fasciitis & PHT)

    • How to prioritize the most debilitating injury using key factors:
      • Severity
      • Duration
      • Irritability
      • Predictability
    • Why you should focus on “bang for your buck” exercises (e.g., deadlifts, hamstring curls, calf raises).
    • How to combine exercises to target multiple injuries efficiently (e.g., barefoot single-leg deadlifts).
    • The importance of progressive overload in rehab — not just maintaining bodyweight work.
    • How to stay active during flare-ups and make sure both injuries are improving week to week
    • Why Running Can Feel Easier Than Cycling (Despite a Higher Heart Rate)
    • How steady-state cardio explains why running can feel smoother than a variable spin class.
    • The impact of heat, humidity, and muscle groups used on perceived effort.
    • How familiarity with a movement can affect heart rate and effort perception.
    • The “central governor theory” — how your brain regulates fatigue and effort.
    • Brodie’s personal story: going from marathon runner to struggling to swim 50 meters, and how adaptation and calmness change everything.

    What Causes Stitches — and Can You Stop Them?

    • Why side stitches remain somewhat mysterious despite many theories.
    • Possible causes:
      • Fatigue or imbalance in trunk/core muscles
      • Diaphragm displacement theories (including a strange but possibly effective breathing trick!)
    • Why core workouts the day before a run can trigger stitches — and what Brodie learned from experience.
    • An invitation for listeners to test and report back on the “left heel drop and exhale” technique.

    Should You Rotate Your Running Shoes?

    • Difference between rotating the same model vs different brands and types.
    • How lighter and super shoes can improve performance — and when they can backfire.
    • Using shoes as tools: minimalist for speed and proprioception, stability shoes for recovery days.
    • The double-edged sword:
      • Poor transitions = increased injury risk.
      • Gradual adaptation = greater resilience and reduced overuse risk.
    • Why shoe variation can distribute load and lower repetitive stress when done properly.

    Key Takeaways

    • Focus rehab on the most limiting injury first, and keep it progressive.
    • Familiarity plays a massive role in perceived exertion between different activities.
    • Side stitches may stem from muscle fatigue or diaphragm misalignment — and could respond to strategic breathing.
    • Rotating shoes can either reduce or increase injury risk — it depends entirely on how gradually you adapt to each type.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • Q&A 2: Age & Performance, Achilles Injury Expectations, MRI Alternatives, Tendon Health & Stress Shielding

    Q&A 2: Age & Performance, Achilles Injury Expectations, MRI Alternatives, Tendon Health & Stress Shielding
    Oct 12 2025
    Learn more about Brodie's Research Database & AI Assistant 📄🔍For MORE Run Smarter Resources 🏃‍♂️📚- Including Free Injury Prevention Courses 🩹🎓- The Run Smarter Book 📖- Access to Research Papers 📄🔍- & Ways to Work with Brodie 🤝👟👉 CLICK HERE! 🎉✨In this listener Q&A episode, Brodie dives into four fascinating research-backed topics that every runner should understand — from aging performance to tendon rehab science:How running performance declines with age — and the key training interventions to slow it downRecovery potential after Achilles tendon rupture or tendinopathy, with or without surgeryThe true accuracy of MRI vs. CT scans for stress fractures and other running-related injuriesWhether isometric exercises after a run can strengthen tendons and reduce “stress shielding”Episode SummaryIn this “Ask Brodie Anything” edition, Brodie tackles questions from listeners covering performance longevity, injury recovery, and the science behind imaging and tendon adaptation.🏃‍♂️ 1. Aging & Running PerformanceBrodie unpacks the 2019 paper “The Physiology and Biomechanics of the Master’s Runner” by Rich Willy, revealing:Performance decline typically begins around age 35, with VO₂ max dropping ~7% per decade.Active runners experience slower declines due to training volume and intensity.Step length decreases and cadence increases with age, while ankle power and tendon stiffness reduce, leading to slower speeds. 🧩 Key takeaways:Maintain high-intensity interval sessions and training volume.Add heavy resistance training (2–3x per week) and plyometrics to preserve tendon stiffness and bone density.Use cross-training (ski erg, bike, rower) to build aerobic fitness while reducing joint stress.🦶 2. Achilles Tendon Rupture: Can You Fully Recover?Drawing from the 2016 World Congress on Sports Physical Therapy Consensus Statement, Brodie explains that:Return-to-sport rates range from 55–90% after 1 year of rehab.Surgical cases report 29–87% return, but recurrence rates remain high (27–44%).Recovery depends on age, injury severity, and rehab adherence. 🧠 Brodie emphasizes that full recovery without pain or fear of re-injury is possible — but addressing psychological readiness is as vital as physical rehab.🩻 3. MRI vs. CT for Stress FracturesBrodie reviews a systematic review comparing imaging accuracy:CT scans: Sensitivity 32–38%, Specificity 88–98% → great for confirming, poor for ruling out.MRI: Sensitivity 68%, Specificity 99% → still the gold standard for stress fractures. 👉 Clinical takeaway: A CT scan can confirm, but a negative CT often still needs MRI. Scans should be used only when clinically justified — chronic tendinopathies are best diagnosed via functional assessment, not imaging.💪 4. Isometrics After Running: Useful or Overhyped?Referencing tendon researcher Keith Baar, Brodie discusses “stress shielding” — when tendons redirect load away from damaged fibers.Post-run isometrics (3×20–30s holds) can help load fatigued tendons more evenly.But for true tendon remodeling, progressive heavy slow resistance remains essential.Alternatives like “creep loading” and time-under-tension exercises can also reduce stress shielding — no need to be fatigued to gain benefits.🧩 Key TakeawaysStay strong as you age — resistance and high-intensity training slow decline.Achilles rehab success depends on gradual loading, not just surgery.MRI beats CT for stress fractures; be strategic about when to scan.Isometrics help, but heavy slow load is still the cornerstone of tendon rehab.📚 Resources MentionedWilly et al. (2019): The Physiology and Biomechanics of the Master’s Runner2016 Consensus Statement on Return to Sport after Injury (World Congress in Sports Physical Therapy)Diagnostic Accuracy of Imaging Modalities for Lower Extremity Stress FracturesKeith Baar: Stress Shielding and Tendon Adaptation episode
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • Re-Run: Marathon PB tactics & strategy with Brian Hanley (Aug, 2021)

    Re-Run: Marathon PB tactics & strategy with Brian Hanley (Aug, 2021)
    Oct 5 2025

    Learn more about Brodie's Research Database & AI Assistant 📄🔍

    For MORE Run Smarter Resources 🏃‍♂️📚
    - Including Free Injury Prevention Courses 🩹🎓
    - The Run Smarter Book 📖
    - Access to Research Papers 📄🔍
    - & Ways to Work with Brodie 🤝👟
    👉 CLICK HERE! 🎉✨

    Marathon PB Tactics & Strategy with Brian Hanley

    Most runners spend months focusing on training plans, mileage, and workouts… but when race day comes, they often just “wing it” when it comes to pacing. In this episode, we dive deep into the science and psychology of marathon and half marathon race strategy with Dr. Brian Hanley, senior lecturer in sport and exercise biomechanics at Leeds Beckett University.

    Brian shares his expertise on why even the best training adaptations can be wasted without a smart pacing plan, and how recreational runners can use proven strategies to maximize performance, avoid blow-ups, and run smarter on race day.

    🏃‍♂️ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • Why even pacing (or equal effort) is the gold standard—and why most runners get it wrong
    • How to balance physiology and psychology on race day to avoid starting too fast
    • The difference between pacing at the elite level vs. recreational running
    • How weather, terrain, and heat affect pacing—and practical ways to adapt
    • The role of pacers in reducing cognitive load and helping you stick to your plan
    • Why women often pace better than men in marathons
    • How to use training and shorter races to dial in your goal pace
    • The importance of self-reflection and avoiding the “fundamental attribution error” after a race
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.